Puja Khedkar is accused of fraudulently clearing the civil services examination held by the UPSC
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday discharged former trainee officer Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after finding her “ineligible” to be a candidate for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) in 2022, DoPT sources said on Saturday.
This comes over a month after the Union Public Service Commission cancelled Khedkar’s candidature for CSE 2022 following allegations of forgery and misconduct against her. According to the UPSC, she allegedly changed her name from Puja Diliprao Khedkar to Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar to appear for the examination beyond the maximum number of attempts allowed, and also changed the names of her parents.
Through an order dated September 6, 2024, the Central Government discharged Khedkar under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954 — which provides for the discharge of a probationer found to be ineligible — with immediate effect, said a DoPT source.
The DoPT had set up a single-member committee on July 11 to verify the allegations against Khedkar. The committee submitted its report on July 27, the sources said. After that the government proceeded with a summary inquiry under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954.
Sources said the DoPT inquiry found that Khedkar had appeared for the CSE from 2012 to 2023, though the maximum number of attempts — nine — in the category claimed by her (OBC and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) had been exhausted in 2020. The inquiry found she was ineligible to be a candidate in 2022, the year in which she was selected.
Khedkar, for her part, has denied the allegations and moved the Delhi High Court against the cancellation of her candidature.
The former probationary officer, who was provisionally allotted the IAS (Maharashtra cadre) in 2023, was accused of misusing power and privileges during her training in Pune.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/govt-discharges-former-ias-trainee-officer-puja-khedkar-from-services-9555413/
